WWALS Watershed Coalition advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, and Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.

Tag Archives: rivers

Hahira, GA, February 13, 2019 —
From next to the largest Suwannee River Basin city, Valdosta,
to between some of the smallest, Mayo and Luraville,
Paddle Georgia brings 300 people this summer to venture for the first time
across the state line from Georgia to Florida,
on the Little, Withlacoochee, and Suwannee Rivers, June 15 through 21, 2019.

“Five years ago I suggested our Withlacoochee River to Joe Cook
for Paddle Georgia, and he went one better, adding the Suwannee River,
past two of the few second-magnitude springs in Georgia, McIntyre and Arnold,
and two of the famous first-magnitude Florida Springs: Madison Blue
and Lafayette,”
said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.
“Plus Spook Bridge and the orphaned railroad trestle near Madison,
with many shoals and rapids at the GA-FL line!
Special thanks to The Langdale Company for permission to take out just below Spook Bridge.
Personally, I like that this paddle starts at my birthplace
in Valdosta, Georgia and ends at my grandmother’s birthplace at
the ferry site for Luraville, Florida.”

This event is organized by Paddle Georgia, with catered dinners and buses to and from the rivers.
WWALS is assisting,
for example by organizing the Spook Bridge takeout, and by pointing
out many sites that non-locals might miss, ranging from springs,
and Withlacoochee River agates, and the halberd-leaf rosemallow, whose blooms last only one day, to perpetual bothers such as Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Continue reading →

Update 2018-12-30: The new organization WATERKEEPERS Florida, as one of its first acts, on December 19, 2018, signed the Resolution Against Phosphate Mines in Florida, thus committing all thirteen of its member organizations.

WHEREAS, Waterkeeper Alliance Members are obligated and dedicated to protect the water
resources, citizens’ interests, and related benefits in their
jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, phosphate mines have been shown to threaten and cause actual harm to these
resources, interest, and related benefits; and

WHEREAS, there are several phosphate mine projects in various stages of permitting in local,
state, and federal agencies including county and city governments,
Water Management Districts (WMDs),
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP),
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); and

WHEREAS, there seems to be no public list of current phosphate mines and related facitlities,
which include at least

Add that many WWALS members, some pictured here on the Suwannee River
at the proposed Sabal Trail crossing, live in Florida,
and this article from that same day is a good summary of the situation a week ago.
It was also picked up by
Bakken.com, “Powered by Shale Plays Media”.

SECTION II
Thus, we are in opposition to the construction of the
proposed pipeline in Dougherty County and request that FERC give
serious consideration and analysis to alternative routes (1) that
avoid unstable geologic areas such as karst and sink-hole prone
areas, (2) that minimize impacts to drinking water and agricultural
water supplies, (3) that minimize impacts to wildlife habitat,
forest, wetlands, streams and rivers and (4) that do not compromise
socio-economic and cultural issues.